1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a character train outputting apparatus, used in a word processor or the like, for laying out a train of characters as an output target in a previously designated layout range.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a word processor or the like, the format of a document is defined by setting the number of digits or characters per line. A document is prepared according to this format and this document is printed by a printer. In this case, the expression of characters largely depends on the hardware (memory capacity, printer, built-in fonts, screen resolution, etc.) in character display or printing, and it is in this expression that the features of individual word processors become apparent. Generally speaking, most word processors can use a full font size, a half font size, a quarter font size, horizontally double-expanded font size, vertically double-expanded font size and horizontally and vertically double-expanded font size for characters, can designate the pitch character by character or line by line, and are equipped with functions of underlining, character ornamentation, and drawing gridlines. In preparing text, many word processors draw an underline or expand the character size with respect to specific characters or a specific line to enhance the characters or line. Those operations are called "character ornamentation."
Word processors are designed to set the desired format when printing a prepared document. The format setting is performed by inputting or selecting the desired values in or for the set items, such as character pitch, line pitch, the number of characters per line, the number of lines per page and character point. A document is output from a printing device, such as a printer, based on the thus set format.
Some word processors perform outline font edition on image data or data called from a dictionary to print out smoother lines. The "outline font" is a character font expressed by several points indicated by coordinates and an outline connecting those points, and is prepared based on information of the coordinates of several dots as the start point, held as data, by computing a line, which passes the start point and traces the associated character, and smoothly linking the center at the time of character display or printing. Since only the coordinate data from the start point is needed, a smaller memory is sufficient to store finer fonts and enlargement, reduction and alteration of characters are easier as compared with dot fonts.
However, the above-described character ornamenting method can be executed only in a predetermined manner and basically character by character, and has a very poor degree of freedom, so that it cannot meet the users' demand sufficiently.
If, for example, to enhance an arbitrary train of characters, the magnifications of the individual characters constituting that character train are continuously changed to gradually reduce the characters from the head character toward the end character, a character train with depth feeling can be output. This technique is very effective as one way to enhance a character train. To perform such enhancement, conventionally, it is very difficult to make a character wider when the character is tall or to make the character narrower when the character is short, while setting the vertical and horizontal magnifications of characters character by character. It is therefore practically almost impossible to acquire a balanced character train with natural depth feeling, so that not everyone can easily obtain a naturally-linked character train.